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movie theme notes and a breezy tour through many of the themes of the latest Pixar offering : UP.

Carefully chosen entries from YouTube helped this study to come alive, especially the sections on Helium and the Angel Falls.

Has been an interesting and thought-provoking study. I presented this info to the kids as “a whirlwind mix of interesting topics” and told the chn about going to the movie when we’d finished the 2-3 weeks of quick study.

These movie notes are my property – you may use for personal/family use only.

What makes an insect different than an arachnid or true bug. Contrast/ compare. Venn diagram.

BIG PICTURE

Food Chain …http://insected.arizona.edu/lesson_07/default.htm – nutritionHow insects stack up on the food chain, and where the world would be without them.
What eats Insects vs. What Insects eat – could do a lift the flap with pictures of various insects and things they eat vs. pictures of insects and animals that eat them

Follow the migration patterns of the Monarch Butterfly. There are sites you can read about online, students tag the butterflies and they go all the way down to South America from up North. Map of U.S. (or World) and color according to where certain insects are found.

ETC…

Edibles …Recipes for making bugs, eating bugs, and feeding bugs would be fun.

Inspiration Spot

use imagination – will poetry or creative writing come from here? a shape story? a picture? a song? remind you of another story?

THE BUTTERFLY STORY
A story about the wisdom of suffering. A man found a butterfly cocoon. One day a small opening appeared and he sat and watched the butterfly as it struggled for several hours to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared that it had gotten as far as it could.

The man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped of the remaining bit of cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily but it had a swollen body and small, shrivelled wings. The man expected that at any moment the wings would expand and be able to support the body, but this never happened.

The butterfly spent its whole life crawling around with a swollen body unable to fly. The restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny opening were needed to force fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight when it achieved freedom.

Sometimes struggles are just what we need in life. If we went through life without obstacles, it would cripple us spiritually. We would not be as strong as we could have been. And we would never fly.

In New Zealand, small over-wintering swarms have been found in coastal areas, for example, Church Hill, Nelson, where they spend from April-May to September. Other wintering sites include Kaeo (Tauranga Bay), Manaia and Hastings. The butterflies are not totally dormant – they will start to fly if the weather warms up, and feed at flowers.
No New Zealand records have been found from before the 1860s-70s, though it is notable that there is a Maori name – ‘kakahu’ – for this butterfly. Records suggest this species migrated quickly across the Pacific Ocean, reaching Hawaii in 1840, Pohnpei 1857, Tonga 1863, Samoa 1867, Rarotonga 1869, Brisbane 1870, Melbourne 1872, NZ 1873, Tahiti 1972.
The first confirmed New Zealand record in 1873.
Monarch butterflies breed here, depending on the introduced swan plant as a host for its caterpillars.

The monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a quintessential part of the New Zealand urban summer, as it is in many parts of the world. The monarch was first observed in New Zealand in the 1870s. Monarchs rely on milkweeds (Family: Asclepiadaceae), which are not native to New Zealand, but often cultivated by home gardeners. As such, throughout their range monarchs are one of the most common butterflies seen by the general public. Monarch butterflies are known to overwinter in New Zealand in large clusters in areas where the average winter temperature drops below 10°C. Little is known about monarch overwintering behaviour in New Zealand, so the authors were keen to find out more. A small article in the Christchurch provincial newspaper (31st May, 2003, The Press) elicited a huge response. Over 100 reports of monarch clustering behaviour came in via phone and email, and at present over 40 possible overwintering sites have been recorded in Christchurch alone. Public interest was such that five other articles were published in various media including newspapers, local television and web sites.

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Luke 1 and 2 in the New Testament of the Bible tell what happened around the Birth of Christ in some detail with additional passages, well…, throughout the Bible but especially in Isaiah 9 and Matthew 1+2.

I love the wonder and awe of Christmas. The lights, decorations, and trees all add to this. Our family doesn’t do Santa Claus as we don’t think he has anything to add to the real story of the Gift-giver, who was motivated by immense love for us. And we don’t have to be good for us to receive His (God’s) gifts.

St Nicholas (December 6), a bishop from Myrna, Turkey, is celebrated for his generous gifts hundreds of years ago. This brings the focus for the season to giving and not getting.

This year our family hid little and homemade gifts on night of Dec 5th in each other’s shoes, surreptitiously. Bookmarks, letters, chocolate coins, small homemade photo books. I received a hand crafted paper jet plane from my 8yo boy – and a wrapped up car (one of his favourites)! What a blessing!

Sanity in the Celebration

1. Aim for Sanity

Remind yourself of this aim each day as Christmas approaches. Deliberately choose not to try to outdo anyone else. Focus on what is important for you and your family this season.

2. Put People First

Visit, phone, or write to “old” friends. Remember the singles and solos – check they are not alone this Christmas. Make room for what lasts. Trees, decorations, wrapping paper, and parties are just the accessories (sometimes the excess-ories) of the season.

3. Break Bad Habits

Take time to examine your Christmas traditions. If they’re no longer sensible or relevant, lay them aside. Talk this over with your family and create new more meaningful family traditions.

4. Make Room for Fun

In the midst of the pressured and commercialised Christ-mas, make sure there is room for fun. Set aside a day for cooking with the children. Allow the presents to be not-so-perfectly wrapped by not-so-coordinated fingers. Have folks over for a picnic, barbecue, or an evening. Relax – and laugh!

5. Shop – then Stop!

Well before December, make a gift list, set a completion date, and a cost limit for each person. Shop leisurely in stages and record purchases. When you reach your goals – STOP!

6. Ponder the Point

Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. Keep this central in all activities. Jesus, God’s only son, came to earth to serve and to save. This is the reason for the season. Let us celebrate God’s goodness to us this Christmas.